To listen CLICK the LINK "show 1099127" below

IMPORTANT: This is about one hour. It is best to listen to all of the program to get the most out of it.

A Sociologist's Perspective

Gary and Robin interview Dr. Joel Thiessen who is a sociologist and professor at Ambrose University College. His studies and insights will help to inform our Fellowship leaders to be more effective in reaching our culture and implications for ministry as we reach out in Canada.

Fellowship Radio is a ministry division of the Fellowship of Evangelical Baptist Churches in Canada.

Some main points in this interview:

- excellence: music, preaching IE: evangelic

- how a church’s perception may be unfriendly
- change public negative perceptions
- they discuss looking outward in our ministry too often we are inward
- offering things for kids and families in the neighborhood
- how can we engage our neighborhood
- to centre our ministry to those beyond the walls of the church
- change perceptions one by one
- build relationships with community and social ties outside the church
- walk through life with people regardless of what or whom they believe in or don’t

  with 
“no strings attached”
- church should show what they stand for and not against in social justice
- would anyone know if a church left the neighbourhood
- most people who join a church join the United Church due to their actions in social
  justice initiatives
- where do we begin to help the oppressed
- make connections with people in own congregations in areas of resource specialty
- he mentions post a free basketball session (sound familiar?)
- do things within own neighbourhood
- go with a group from the church downtown to help at a homeless shelter or food
  bank
- get different experiences
- they discuss friendly people within a church who talk to people
- discusses social ties and how we engage people even if they do not believe what
  we or others believe...friendly, kind and genuine often
- being in other’s journeys working along side them
- how do we manage all our failure
- the need to find the mechanisms to find responsive people

None of the above is criticism if any work by anyone at Central. This is simply a method to explore new avenues of ideas to help Central become vibrant once again.